


A Hidden Past

by Settiai



Category: Hogan's Heroes
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Attempted Rape, Crossdressing, F/M, Juvenilia, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2001-09-04
Updated: 2001-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-06 21:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/423599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the past of one of the Heroes comes back to haunt him, little does anyone know how much their lives will change. [Note: unfinished and abandoned.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first few chapters of this story were revised sometime in the mid-2000s, probably around 2005 or so, when I thought about trying to give this story another shot. My interest... faded fairly quickly, to be honest. Because, wow, the entire premise of this story is pretty damn implausible, even for _Hogan's Heroes_.
> 
> But, anyone, I wanted to make that clear in case anyone actually tries to read this story. (Fair warning: don't. No, really, it's _bad_. It really, really is. I'm only posting it because I'm a completionist.) The first few chapters are at least readable. The later ones... aren't. At all.

_"Push."_

_A cold wind blew through the cracks in the walls of the house, scarcely noticed by the people standing around the small bed in the center of the room. A young woman, no older than sixteen, lay on the bed, grinning weakly as the young man beside her tightly clutched her hand. The doctor standing beside her smiled gently as he said the words on more time._

_"Push"_

_As sweat poured down the woman's face, her husband squeezed her hand even tighter. "Come on Elisabeth, you can do it," he said gently. "Just another couple of pushes, and we'll be parents."_

_Even with the pain of childbirth bearing down on her, Elisabeth had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She pushed her fingernails deep into her husband's hand, causing him to yelp in pain. "If you think that this is bad, why don't you try and have this baby?" she said with a slight smirk. "I'd love to see you try, darling."_

_Drawing out the last word, almost daring him to say something else, she winked. He gave an exasperated sigh as she stuck her tongue out at him, but his annoyance faded as the young woman let out a loud moan of pain. Her grip on his hand tightened considerably, and he looked at the doctor worriedly. His fears were increased when he saw how pale the doctor's face was._

_"Doctor Johnson?" he asked worriedly._

_The doctor quickly turned to Jack McHenry, Elisabeth's older brother, and motioned towards the door. The young man nodded, and gently steered his brother-in-law out of the room. Neither of the men noticed the worried look that the doctor and Anna, Jack's wife, shared._

*

In a barracks at Stalag 13, a German POW camp, one of the prisoners moaned in his sleep. He tossed and turned just enough to show that he was having some sort of nightmare, but not enough to wake up any of his fellow prisoners.

*

 _The two young men sat in the rickety chairs right outside the room, placated a great deal by the fact that there hadn't been anymore cries of pain in almost a half hour. Jack was actually starting to nod off when a sudden scream broke through the silence, almost forcing him to tackle his brother-in-law to the ground in order to prevent him from dashing into the room._

_As Jack wrestled the younger man to the ground, the loud cry of a baby cut through the air. All other thoughts flew from their minds as they looked stared at each other in astonishment. The door opened slightly, and Anna stepped through with a large smile on her face._

_"It's a girl," she announced with a smile, one that quickly faded when, without warning, another bloodcurdling shriek suddenly split the air._

_Eyes wide, Anna dashed back into the room, shutting the door behind her. Jack stared at the door in shock as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, while the other young man sat on the floor where he was, his face taut with worry._

_A few minutes later, though it had seemed like hours, Anna slowly stepped back into the room. The expression on her face told them all they needed to know. Jack's face went pale, and his brother-in-law just sank to the floor. Tears were streaming down his face as he called out the name of his wife._

*

At Stalag 13, the prisoner once again moaned; however, a single word sprang from his lips at the same time. "Elisabeth." 

On a nearby bunk, one of his fellow POW's stirred slightly before gingerly opening his eyes and looking in the direction of his friend. An uncertain expression on his young face, the American slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position.

*

 _Jack McHenry stared at his brother-in-law with amazement in his eyes._

_You can't be serious!" he said angrily. "Beth is your daughter, you bloody bastard! You can't just abandon her like this!"_

_He was met by a pair of dark, woeful eyes. The other young man looked down at the sleeping four-month-old in his arms. Then he looked back up at Jack, tears threatening to start falling any time._

_"Jack, I'm barely seventeen myself," he said weakly. "If Elisabeth was still here, then the two of us might have been able to provide for Beth."_

_A pained expression appeared on his face as he stared at the older man. "But, as we both know, she isn't here," he said finally. "I can't do it Jack. I'm doing this for my daughter's sake. She needs a good home, and I can't provide her with one. You and Anna can raise her much better than I can."_

_Jack looked at him seriously. The face he was staring into was still boyish and full of youth, but those eyes were those of a man._

_"I know," he said with a sigh, "but it still doesn't seem right. Do you really want to do this?"_

_Once more, his brother-in-law looked down at his daughter. She stared back at him in utter innocence with bright green eyes._

_"You know damn well that I don't, Jack, but it has to be this way," he choked out. "I want you to promise me something, though. I want you to tell her about me, but I don't want her to have my name. She doesn't deserve my name."_

_He looked away for a moment as his eyes filled with tears. Tell Anna that I love her as much as my own sister, and that I hope she is a good mother."_

_Jack stared at the younger man in complete surprise as his brother-in-law turned to walk away. "Wait a second, what do you mean by that?" he asked in shock. "She's your daughter, you bloody idiot! Are you going to just forget about her? Damn it all, Peter, answer me."_

_He didn't get an answer. All he saw was his brother-in-law, turning his back on his past and seemingly embracing his future. Jack didn't see the tears rolling down his face, or hear his quiet words._

_"Goodbye, Beth."_

*

Sergeant Andrew Carter gave a slight sigh. He could tell that something was wrong with his friend, and he knew that it wasn't like the older man to be a restless sleeper. The young American sat there for a few minutes, listening to the quiet moans coming from the other side of the room.

After a few moments pause, Carter slowly pulled himself out of bed and quietly made his over to the other bunk. He stood there for a few more seconds, silently bracing himself for the tongue-lashing his friend was sure to give him. Then, with a quiet intake of breath, he gently tapped his fellow POW on the arm.

The dark-haired Englishman woke up immediately, his eyes moving wildly around the room. "What in the..."

His eyes finally froze on the younger man, who was still standing beside his bed with a sheepish expression on his face. 

"Carter!" Newkirk said in annoyance. "What the bloody hell are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!"

Though his words were harsh, a tired grin played on his face. Carter let out a relieved sigh, a weak smile coming to his face. 

"You were having a nightmare or something," he said softly. "I mean, you were tossing and turning, and I could hear you moaning from my bunk." 

The smile on his face slowly faded as a sudden though suddenly came to his mind. 

"By the way, Newkirk, who exactly is Elisabeth?"

The other man, Corporal Peter Newkirk, felt the blood drain from his face. Memories from the past suddenly assailed his mind, and a slight tremor went up his spine. Why were all of these things coming back to him now?

Newkirk suddenly realized that the younger man was still standing there, staring at him with an anxious expression on his face. 

"No one, Carter," he said weakly, though the words sounded hollow. "She's no one."

Carter stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging slightly and heading back to his own bunk. He could tell that Newkirk was hiding something, but until the other man wanted him to know what that was, he wouldn't ask.

*

In the dark forests of Germany, a young RAF pilot ran as fast as humanly possible. Being captured by the Nazis was not an option, not with the secret this young person was hiding. Suddenly, with a loud cry, the pilot tripped as her right leg caught in the root of a large tree.

Before she even had a chance to pull herself back to her feet, a bright light abruptly shined in her green eyes. Instinctively, she covered her eyes, grimacing in pain from the intense light. As she pulled her hands away, she found herself staring into the business end of a German's gun.

 _Maybe I should just tell him I'm here selling biscuits for the Girl Guides_ , she thought, barely holding back a panicked giggle as she realized just how inopportune her usual sarcasm would be right then.

She could feel the Kraut's eyes moving over her body, and she silently prayed that the binding she wore on her chest, added to the male's uniform she was wearing, would keep her identity safe. It was bad enough being captured, but she knew very well what would happen if they discovered that she was a female.

The young woman quietly held her breath as his gaze drifted over her. When he finally let his stare drop, she let out a silent sigh of relief. As the German soldier gestured for her to stand up and start marching, however, she felt a tremor of fear shoot down her spine. What was the old saying her uncle had always said? _Out of the frying pan, into the fire._


	2. Chapter 2

Beth looked down at the crudely drawn map that had been given to her by the ranking officer at Stalag Six with a nervous shudder. Even though it was night, there was still more than enough light for her to read the map, which caused her to become even more anxious than before. It would be so much safer if there was no moon.

She had been sent to the stalag almost two weeks earlier, her Nazi captors still in the dark about her true identity. She didn't have a clue how her luck had managed to hold out for that long, but for whatever reason it was she was thankful. When she had been assigned to a barrack, however, she had told the ranking officer -- an American captain -- the truth about herself. A grim smile came to her face as she remembered his reaction to the unexpected news.

_The young pilot stepped quietly into the room, her eyes moving nervously over Captain Harris. He didn't seem to notice her fear, however, as he smiled and gestured for her to sit down._

_"Hello, Lieutenant McHenry," he said, a slightly distracted tone in his voice. "Please, take a seat."_

_Beth had sat down gingerly, her eyes not quite meeting his. By that point, the captain had finally realized that there was a reason she had came to talk to him._

_"Is something the matter?" he asked worriedly._

_She looked up after a moment, her eyes still not focusing on his. "If I might ask, sir, do you know what my name is?"_

_He stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before nodding slightly. "Yes lieutenant, I believe that I do," he said with just a bit of hesitation. "It's Aubrey McHenry, isn't it? Lieutenant Aubrey McHenry of the RAF."_

_Beth nodded slightly, but the color had started to fade from her face. "In a way, yes. Aubrey is my middle name. He told me… that is, I thought that it would work better for my p-purposes."_

_By now, there was a suspicious glint in the American's eyes as he let his gaze drift over the young pilot sitting in front of him. "And what exactly do you mean by that, young man?" he asked firmly._

_At his words, she let out a dry laugh before sinking even lower in the chair. "My full name is Elisabeth Aubrey McHenry, sir," she whispered, "so I'm not exactly a young man."_

_The captain's eyes went wide, and his gaze quickly drifted over her body once more. This time, however, it stopped on the slight bulge underneath her shirt._

_"How?" he asked, a dumbfounded expression on his face that would have been amusing under any other circumstances._

Beth sighed slightly as she pulled her jacket even more tightly around her. She had told him most of her story, leaving out names so that no one but her could get into any trouble in the future. He had been furious at first, but after a few days had passed he had started to get used to the fact. 

Still, he had made sure that she was next in line to escape. Even though none of the other men there had known about her identity at that point, he was certain that they would soon find out. With his help, Beth was now free from her captors… or at least she would be if she could reach the destination marked on the map.

One more smile came to her face as she remembered the way that she had repaid the captain for his kindness towards her. It faded, though, as she once more looked down at the map. She was to meet up with the Underground, who would, in turn, help her get in touch with someone known as 'Papa Bear'. 

"Piece of cake," she whispered with a wry grin, trying her very best to keep her mind off of the hot water she was going to be in once she arrived back in London.

*

"ROLL CALL!!!"

Sergeant Hans Schultz stood in the doorway to Barracks Two, waiting impatiently for the prisoners to get into formation outside. 

"The Kommandant is not in a good mood this morning," Shultz said, shooting a pointed look at the American colonel who had just stepped out of the barracks.

Colonel Robert Hogan shot an impish grin in Shultz's direction as he listened to his men groan as they stumbled outside. "Is Klink ever in a good mood, Shultz?" he asked lightly.

The large German sergeant smiled good-naturedly at the American before firmly shaking his head. "Nein, I do not think that he is," he replied. "In fact, it would be..."

His words cut off as he suddenly remembered who he was talking to. An annoyed expression appeared on his face as he shot Hogan a rather irritated look. "No monkey business today."

Hogan merely shrugged at Shultz before pulling on his bomber jacket and heading towards the door. "Come on guys, you heard him," he called out. "I know that most of you need as much beauty sleep as you can get, but you're just going to have to accept that it's probably a lost cause." 

Most of the men were grumbling as they walked outside, positioning themselves into a sloppy formation while Shultz quickly checked to make sure that all of them were there. His eyes widened in worry as he noticed an empty spot in the line, and he quickly shot a fretful look in Hogan's direction.

The American colonel quickly noticed Shultz's gaze, and he let his eyes slowly drift towards the door to the barrack. The German's gaze followed Hogan's, and he gave a sigh of relief as Sergeant James Kinchloe hurried out the door and speedily made his way to his usual place. The faint smile of relief that had started to appear on his face faded almost instantaneously, however, as the voice of Kommandant Wilhelm Klink suddenly rang out across the compound. 

"Shultz! Are all the prisoners here?"

Shultz almost dropped the clipboard that he was holding as he spun around to salute the man who was now standing behind him. "Yes, Herr Kommandant," he replied. "All men are present and accounted for."

"Fine then. Dis-missed!"

As soon as Klink had dismissed them in his usual brisk manner, he turned and quickly walked away from the prisoners. The moment that he was out of their eyesight, all of the prisoners turned to go back inside. The moment that Hogan stepped inside the door, he grabbed Kinch by the arm and steered the startled man into his office, gesturing for Corporal Louis LeBeau, Sergeant Andrew Carter, and Corporal Peter Newkirk to follow them.

When they were all inside of the room, Hogan quickly shut the door and turned expectantly towards his friend. "Well?"

Kinch gave him a weak grin, a sure sign that he knew that what he was about to say was going to upset his ranking officer. "Well Colonel, we have a new job if that's what you want to know," he said, a slight bit of hesitation in his voice. "We're supposed to meet the Underground tomorrow night and pick up an escaped prisoner. Then we're supposed to get her out of the country."

Hogan's eyes narrowed in confusion at the mundane-sounding assignment. There was nothing about it that would explain the worried look that was now on his friend's face. 

"That seems pretty ordinary, Kinch," he said with more than a little puzzlement. "Exactly who is this prisoner that we're supp..."

He trailed off as comprehension dawned on his face. "Please tell me that you didn't just say 'her', Kinch."

The African-American man shrugged apologetically before answering the colonel's unfinished question. "Apparently, she's a lieutenant in the RAF who was shot down a couple of weeks ago," he explained. "I'm not sure exactly how she managed to get into the RAF in the first place, and London didn't seem keen on explaining. All I know is that she's been at Stalag Six for the last few weeks, and, with the help of a Captain Harris, she managed to escape several days ago. We're supposed to make sure that she gets back to England in one piece and as soon as po..." 

Kinch trailed off as Newkirk suddenly stepped in front of him in order to shoot the colonel what was supposed to be a charming grin. "Colonel, I hereby volunteer to go and meet the Underground tomorrow," he said eagerly. "In fact, I insist." 

At his words, LeBeau's eyes suddenly grew wide. Without even thinking, he quickly threw in his plea. "Mon Colonel, I also volunteer. It would be a great honor to pick up this lieutenant." 

Carter didn't say a word, but he nodded his head vigorously in agreement with the other two men. Hogan rolled his eyes slightly as he met Kinch's gaze. 

"I'm sure that all of you would be more than happy to meet with the Underground tomorrow," he said dryly. "Because of that, it's going to be me and Kinch who go and pick up the lieutenant."

*

Beth stood beside the woman who had introduced herself as Olga, her eyes drifting worriedly around the ramshackle room they were in. Papa Bear was supposed to meet them at this abandoned barn in just a few minutes, and she couldn't help but let a tremor of fear move up her spine. What was going to happen now?

Both women tensed as the sound of footsteps coming towards them suddenly reached their ears, and Olga's hand reached down to rest upon the pistol she carried in her pocket. Her grip on the gun relaxed, however, as two men cautiously entered the room. 

"You are late."

One of the men, his pale skin contrasting greatly with his dark hair, shot her an injured glace. His eyes were twinkling, however, and he started to make his way towards her. Olga merely smiled at him, however, before pushing the young woman beside her into their view. 

"Not today, Colonel." 

Both men stopped when they saw her, and Beth could see the surprise flitting across their faces. It was apparent that they hadn't been expecting someone as young as her. For a few moments, they all stood there in complete silence. Then the older of the two men stepped forwards with a warm smile on his face. 

"I'm Colonel Robert Hogan, and this is Sergeant James Kinchloe. We're here to get you home."

*

Back in Barracks Two, several of the prisoners were preparing for the arrival of the lieutenant that had heard about. Carter was merely sitting on his bunk, however, his eyes keeping a close watch on Newkirk. He was starting to get worried about his friend. The Englishman was usually a very sound sleeper, but for the last several weeks, he had been barely sleeping at all. Carter knew that something was up with him, but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Newkirk suddenly realized like he was being watched, and he gave an irritated sigh. 

"Andrew, why the bloody hell are you staring at me again?" 

Carter's face turned red as he mumbled an intelligible answer. Their argument was stopped before it had a chance to start, however, when one of the bunks rose, revealing the secret tunnel beneath it. LeBeau's head popped up and he gave the two of them a sly grin. 

"Mon colonel and Kinch have returned. You must come and see the girl who is with them." 

He gave a very loud sigh as he pulled his head back down. Carter and Newkirk both stared at each other before they rushed after LeBeau. All three of them were waiting in the tunnel by the time Hogan and Kinch had gotten there. Hogan stepped up and held out his hand before they could even say a word. 

"She is only here until we can get her safely out of the country. She is nineteen years old, and you will leave her alone. Do I make myself clear?" 

All three of them nodded meekly, but the grin that was playing at the edges of Hogan's mouth let them know that he was only partly serious. As they watched, the colonel motioned for Kinch to bring the young woman forward. The men's eyes widened considerably when they saw her, and Beth couldn't help but let a slightly self-satisfied smile come to her face. 

She was about five feet, six inches tall, and the curves of her body were accented by the attractive, though worn, dress she was wearing. Her rich, chocolate-brown hair was cut short, making her appear almost pixyish, and her long eyelashes drew everyone's attentions towards the emerald green eyes underneath them. 

Beth smiled at the shell-shocked expressions on their faces, and she quickly let her own gaze drift over them. One of them, who she guessed was an American, seemed to be only a few years older than her. His mouth was hanging open ever so slightly as he gaped at her. 

Her attention slowly moved past him to a short Frenchman, who was staring at her with an expression that she had seen many times before. She stared at him for a few seconds before moving on to the last man in the group, who was obviously a fellow member of the RAF. As she moved her eyes over his face, she felt a sudden rush of familiarity shoot through her spine. She had seen him before, she knew it. 

Beth stared at him for a few moments before forcing her eyes to move away. 

"So... Are you going to tell me your names, or are you going to make me guess?" 

Their faces turned red as they quickly stepped up to introduce themselves. The young American stepped forwards, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly. 

"I'm Sergeant Andrew Carter, and I'm glad to meet you." 

He didn't seem to know how to welcome her until she held out her hand. He quickly grasped it and shook practically her whole arm. The older man wearing the RAF uniform finally walked up and pried Carter's hand off her arm. 

"What the hell are you trying to Andrew, break her arm?" 

He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently. 

"I'm Corporal Peter Newkirk. Pleased to meet you." 

Their eyes met for a moment, and neither of them seemed able to draw them away. Beth stared at him in confusion, his name ringing in her ears. That name, Peter Newkirk, seemed so familiar. Where had she heard it before? 

The thought was forced out of her mind as the Frenchman, LeBeau, pushed past Newkirk and gave her a wide smile. 

"Welcome to our humble abode, mademoiselle." 

She leaned down as he placed the customary French welcome on her cheeks. 

"I am Corporal Louis LeBeau." 

Their eyes met each others, and LeBeau let his face twist into a large grin. He shrugged his shoulders slightly before placing a kiss directly on her lips. After he pulled away, her face flushed ever so slightly before she smiled at him. Colonel Hogan, on the other hand, didn't seem very pleased. 

"LeBeau..." 

The Frenchman smiled before responding. 

"Do not worry, mon colonel, I will not do anything such as that again."

Beth grinned slightly before giving out a small laugh. 

"Would any of you like to know my name, or would you prefer if I merely answered to 'mademoiselle'?" 

The men's faces once again turned red, causing her to burst out laughing. 

"My name is Lieutenant Elisabeth Renee McHenry, of the RAF. I'd prefer it if you would either call me Lieutenant McHenry or Beth, however." 

As she said her name, Newkirk's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. With a jolt, Beth suddenly remembered where she had heard that name before. A silent gasp escaped her lips as their eyes met once more, and for just a moment she was an eight-year-old child once again.

*

 _Beth sat in her uncle's lap, staring down at the small picture in the locket he had given her for her birthday._

_"Uncle Jack, is this my mum?" she asked, pointing at the beautiful young woman in the picture._

_Jack McHenry smiled back at her, a slightly misty expression coming to his eyes._

_"Yes Beth, that was your mum. She was my little sister, 'Lisabeth."_

_Her eyes grew wide, and she looked back down at the picture._

_"She had the same name as me, didn't she Uncle Jack?"_

_He smiled at the shock expression on her face and gently wrapped his arms around her._

_"Yes Beth, she had the same name as you."_

_Her eyes lingered on the picture again, staring at the young man who was standing beside her mother._

_"Is this my father, Uncle Jack?"_

_She looked up at him, questions burning in her eyes. Jack gave a small sigh when he looked at the picture of his brother-in-law._

_"Yes Beth, that's your father. He's my brother-in-law, Peter."_

_She stared up at her uncle for a moment, uncertainty shining in her eyes._

_"Is he dead like my mum? Is that why I live with you and not him?"_

_Jack stared at her for a moment, tears prickling at the edges of his eyes._

_"No Beth, he isn't dead. I don't think that he is at least."_

_She stared at him for a moment, her face bright with confusion._

_"I don't understand Uncle Jack."_

_He sighed and pulled her closer to him._

_"Your parents were very young when you were born. Your mum, as you know, died giving birth to you. After that, Peter couldn't take care of you. He was still just a kid himself."_

_Beth stared up at him with wide eyes._

_"So, he didn't want me?"_

_Jack shook his head quickly._

_"No Beth, that isn't it at all. He wanted you so much, but he couldn't raise you. He asked me and your Auntie Anna to take care of you until he was ready to come back."_

_Beth stared up at him with sad eyes._

_"But Uncle Jack, I'm already eight. Will he ever come back?"_

_Jack just stared at her sadly, his hands laying gently on her shoulders._

_"I don't know Beth. I just don't know."_

_She looked once again at the small picture. She carefully ran her fingers across the gold writing at the bottom of the picture. 'Peter and Elisabeth Newkirk, 1924.'_

*

Beth stared at the man across from her, the man whose face was captured forever inside the locket that still hung around her neck. It wasn't possible that he could be her biological father, it just wasn't possible. Besides, he was too young--much too young. Someone as young as him couldn't be... No, there had to be some mistake.

By now, the others had noticed that something was going on between the two of them. After a few moments of silence, Hogan quietly cleared his throat, a curious expression on his face. When neither of them even looked in his direction, however, his curiosity seemed to melt away into annoyance. 

Before Hogan could say anything though, Carter reached out and gently grabbed him by the arm. He looked down at the younger man in surprise, but Carter's eyes weren't even on him. Instead, they were focused on the scene that was playing out in front of them. 

"Newkirk?"

At the sound of his name, Newkirk glanced at the young American for just a moment. There was an expression of seriousness on the young man's face unlike anything he had ever seen, and he couldn't help but listen to his quiet words. 

"Does she have something to do with the Elisabeth person that you've been having dreams about?" 

Newkirk could feel his friend's shooting surprised glances in his direction, and he quickly shot Carter a annoyed look that bordered on angry. It was apparent that the damage was done, however, as the young woman's eyes widened in shock.

"Elisabeth? As in my mum? My God, you are him. You are my father."


	3. Chapter 3

Newkirk was well aware that his friends were staring at him in shock, just as he was aware of the young woman in front of him. For a few moments, however, he stood there in silence, his eyes focused on the girl standing before him. How could he not have known who she was? She looked exactly like Elisabeth. 

Their eyes suddenly met, and he finally noticed the hurt expression that was shining in them. He quickly moved his gaze from her, his answer to her question barely more than a mumble. 

"I guess that I am. Not that I bloody deserve it though."

The other men knew better than to say anything as Newkirk, without saying another word, turned and climbed up the ladder that led to the barracks. Hogan let his eyes follow him though, even though he could tell that the Englishman needed time alone. A quiet sob quickly brought his attention back to the young woman standing behind him.

Beth was still standing in the same spot, but there were now tears silently streaming down her face. There was a shocked expression on her face, and her skin was positively white. In fact, Hogan realized with a start, she looked as if she was about to faint at any given moment. Luckily, however, he wasn't the only person who noticed that fact. As she started too slump to the floor, Kinch quickly stepped forwards and grabbed her.

*

Beth opened her eyes slowly. Where was she? As the memories of the night before came back to her, she quickly sat up. She was laying on a small cot in the tunnel she had been brought into. Sitting there on the cot, the pain she had felt earlier seemed to bombard her.

She had always pictured her father as a scoundrel, like many of the men she had met throughout her youth. Someone who couldn't be trusted for anything and who wouldn't be trustworthy enough to be accepted by anyone but himself. For the love of God, the man had abandoned his own child. 

What was confusing her was the fact that the man she had seen the night before hadn't appeared to be any of those things. He seemed close to the other men there, and he was being trusted with a secret that could have him, and hundreds of other people, killed on the spot.

Beth let out a quiet moan of confusion as she brought her hands up to rest on her temple. The Peter Newkirk that she had briefly met the night before wasn't anything like she had pictured him. But there had to be a reason behind him leaving... Her voice barely above a whisper, she quietly spoke. 

"Why the hell did he not want me?"

"I'm still not exactly sure what's happening, but I can tell you that I'm pretty sure he did want you." 

Beth let out a startled gasp before trying to spin wildly around. Since she was still sitting on the cot, however, she only managed to send herself sprawling onto the floor. Her face practically glowing in embarrassment, she slowly lifted her gaze to the doorway. The young American sergeant was standing with a tray of food in his hands, a mortified expression on his face. 

"Oh! I'm sorry about that Lieutenant McHenry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought that you saw me. Oh, by the way, I'm not sure that you remember me from last night, but I'm Sergeant Carter. You can just call me Carter though. Or Andrew, I guess. It really doesn't matter to me." 

While he babbled, the young man lay the tray of food down on a small table beside the wall and hurried over to help her up off the ground. Beth gave him a wry grin as she carefully dusted off her clothes. 

"It's fine, Carter. You just surprised me. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in here this early in the morning." 

Beth paused for a moment as a sudden thought crossed her mind. 

"It is early in the morning?"

A wide grin crossed Carter's face as he nodded. 

"Yes ma'am, it's still pretty early in the morning. LeBeau, he's the French corporal who gave you that warm welcome last night, made you some breakfast. Colonel Hogan will be down here in a minute to talk with you about getting back to England, and Kinch is on the radio with London right now."

The curiosity that was shining in his eyes was obvious even to Beth, and she couldn't help but smile as his voice seemed to become almost hesitant. 

"Are you really Newkirk's daughter? I mean... You don't look very much like him. And.... Sheesh lieutenant, I don't think any of us know what to make of it. Newkirk's not talking, and you haven't been talking, and we're not supposed to ask you anything about any of this..." 

Carter's voice trailed off as he suddenly realized what he had just said. His face reddened, and the only thing that came out of his mouth was a strangled "oops."

Beth let a weak smile come to her face as she shrugged her shoulders slightly. 

"That's fine, Carter. I promise not to faint again. I think that I was just a little overwhelmed last night. I mean, meeting my long-lost father was not that high on my current list of expectations." 

Her eyes dimmed just a bit as she met the young American's eyes. 

"And please, I would rather you call me Beth. The only reason that my rank is that of a lieutenant is because..."

Beth's voice trailed off slightly, and her eyes grew even more distant. 

"I guess the reason isn't very important."

Carter stared at her for a moment in surprised silence, but his curiosity finally got the better of him. 

"So you really are Newkirk's daughter? Sheesh, who would guess that someone like him would have a kid. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but he just doesn't seem like the type. Besides, he couldn't have been very old when you were born. I mean, I don't know exactly how old he is but Newkirk can't be older than..."

"Thirty-five." 

Both of them turned in surprise at the sound of the quiet voice coming from behind them. Newkirk was standing there, an expression on his face that was impossible to read. 

"I had just turned seventeen."

Without saying another word, the older man turned and walked off--leaving them standing there in surprised silence. After a moment, Beth slowly sat back down on the cot. When she spoke a few moments later, it was more to herself than to the American standing near her. 

"I never thought about how young that truly was--a year younger than what I am now. I mean, I know what Uncle Jack said, but still..."

"Who's this 'Uncle Jack' of yours?" 

Carter grinned slightly, trying his best to lighten the mood. Beth smiled gently at his question, her eyes brightening a little with remembrance. 

"Uncle Jack was my mum's older brother. He and my Aunt Anna practically raised me. If it hadn't been for them, who knows what might have happened to me."

Carter slowly nodded in understanding. 

"I get it. They took you in after Newkirk..." 

He trailed off as the sound of someone clearing their throat sounded from behind him, followed by Colonel Hogan's distinctive voice. 

"Carter!"

The younger man flinched at the tone in which Hogan had said his name, and he quickly shot Beth a rueful look. 

"Um... I was just leaving Colonel Hogan. See, I was just delivering Beth her breakfast." 

He suddenly realized that the try of food was still sitting on the table where he had laid it down. Giving the colonel a sheepish grin, he slid past him and hurried on down the tunnel. 

Hogan gave an exasperated sigh before picking up the tray and slowly handing it to her. 

"I'm sorry about that Lieutenant, sometimes Carter seems to have his mind in another..." 

His eyebrows suddenly raised as something the young American had said clicked in his mind. 

"Did I just hear him call you Beth?"

A giggle burst from her lips, followed by a few moments of quiet laughter. Hogan gave her a confused look, but didn't comment. He merely shook his head in amusement until her face once again grew somber. An apologetic expression made it way to her face as she quickly glanced down at the floor.

"Do you know how long until they can get me out of the country?"

Hogan sighed quietly before giving her a sympathetic look. 

"London says that it will probably be at least a week, maybe more. So I guess that you're stuck with us for awhile."

"Well then, I guess that Corporal Newkirk and I will have to work something out between us." 

Beth emphasized the word 'corporal', flinching just a little at how cold her words sounded even to her. Hogan, noticing her chilliness in her tone, forced a cheerful expression to make its way onto his face.

"Do you want me to send him here to talk with you? I can order him to come if you want me to." 

She smiled at the particularly unenthusiastic appearance that his face now held before ruefully shaking her head.

"No, I'll talk with him. I'm sure that we can work something out. We're both adults." 

The look on her face seemed to disagree with her last statement, but Hogan knew better than to comment on that fact. He also knew better than to ask her any of the questions that were burning inside of him. The lieutenant was going to be there for a while, and he would have more than enough to time to find out about her.

Beth stood up slowly, a inquisitive light shining in her eyes. In a hesitant voice, she quietly spoke to Hogan.

"Colonel Hogan, before I leave... Do you think that it would be possible for you to tell me... anything. About my... About the corporal."

Hogan nodded in understanding before gesturing for her to sit back down. A reflective light flickered in his eyes as he started to speak. 

"Well, Newkirk is definitely someone to be curious about. I really can't tell you very much about his past, being that he's usually pretty secretive, but I'll try to tell you everything that I know."

He paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, a boyish smile lit up his features. 

"The first thing that you should know about him is that he can pick practically any lock made by the hands of man."

*

Newkirk sat on his bunk, a million thoughts racing through his mind. He quietly muttered to himself, looking up every few minutes to glare at anyone who had the gall to stare at him.

"Why the bloody hell did she have to show up here? I was just starting to put all of that being me, just starting to put 'Lisabeth behind me... Damn it all to hell, I wasn't ready to be a father then, and she better not expect me to be one now." 

He moaned as the bunk that stood over the entrance to the tunnel started to rise. A sigh escaped his lips as he tiredly shook his head. 

"And that will be the colonel, coming up to give me a good..." 

His voice trailed off as Beth's head peeked through the tunnel's entrance, her eyes quickly catching sight of him. With a sigh of her own, she carefully pulled her entire body out into the barracks. Most of the other men in the room stared at her for a moment, but--after catching sight of the expressions on both hers and Newkirk's faces--they quickly turned their attention elsewhere.

Ignoring the blatant glare that Newkirk was shooting in her direction, Beth placed a stony expression on her face and walked towards him. 

"What the hell are you doing up here? How do you expect to explain your presence when one of the guards walks in?"

Beth held up her hand, her fingers silently counting to three.

"That is not going to happen, because I'm only going to be up here for a few minutes. But I'm not leaving until we... talk. You can either sit there and listen to me, or we can go back into the tunnel, but the two of us are going to..." 

The color drained from her face as the door to the barracks swung open, followed by a rather large German sergeant walking into the room. Shultz immediately froze, his gaze lingering on the scene that was before him.


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment, Sergeant Hans Shultz merely gaped at the young woman sitting at the table in the middle of the room. After a few seconds, however, his eyes turned toward Newkirk, who looked as if he were ready to explode at any second. 

"What? How? ... Newkirk?"

With a start, Newkirk came to his senses once again. He quickly jumped up from his seat and hurried toward the man who was still standing in the doorway.

"Now Shultzie, you should know by now that it's a good idea to knock before coming in here. Who knows what you might walk into otherwise? Now, if you don't mind, my daughter and I are in the middle of an argument, and we would greatly appreciate it if you left us to it." 

With a nervous chuckle, he quickly steered the enormous bulk of the German towards the door. Grinning slightly as Shultz stepped outside of the barrack, he quickly slammed the door shut. His face was paler than usual though, and there was a nervous expression in his eyes as he listened through the now closed door.

"I see _nothing_! I know _nothing_!"

Newkirk let out a quiet sigh of relief when he heard Shultz call out his motto of "knowing nothing." There was fire shining in his eyes, however, as he spun around to face Beth once more. 

"What in the name of that's holy were you thinking! What would you have done if the Kommandant had walked in that door instead of Shultz!? Klink might not be the brightest Kraut in the world, but I'm fairly certain that even he would think something was fishy if he caught sight of you!"

His voice trailed off as he finally looked at her, or--more precisely--the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She merely stared at him for a moment though, not moving even as a few teardrops began streaming down her face. Her voice cracked a little as she looked away.

"I say we just pretend that we had never even heard of each other before last night. Will that work for you, Corporal Newkirk?" 

Beth turned and started back toward the tunnel, not even waiting for a reply. She paused for a moment though as his quiet voice suddenly came from behind her.

"I could live with that."

*

Beth collapsed onto the small cot that had been set up for her, millions of thoughts running through her mind. She had always pictured her father as someone that you would automatically hate, even though her uncle had always said the opposite. But, now that she had met him face to face... There was just something about Peter Newkirk that made her want to trust him.

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she buried her head under her arms.

"I never wanted to meet him... So why is this happening?"

*

Beth woke up with a start, when she heard the Frenchman, LeBeau, calling for Hogan to come up to the barracks. "Mon Colonel! The Gestapo is here, and Major Hochstetter is with them!"

As soon as she heard the word Gestapo, Beth had jumped up from her cot. When she heard several people go running by, she quickly rushed out into the main tunnel to see what was going on. She definitely wasn't expecting to get ran over by Sergeant Carter though. "I'm so sorry, Captain. I didn't see you there. Excuse me." She quickly started pulling herself off the ground as the young man kept throwing apologies at her. 

"That's perfectly fine... Andrew. I know that you didn't mean to knock me over. Again. And please, call me Beth." She hesitated for a moment about calling him by his first name.

Carter quickly grabbed her hand. "I'm still so sorry, Beth. I was just in a hurry to get back to the barracks, because whenever Major Hochstetter comes here, he always throws a surprise inspect..." He was cut off when Kinch came dashing by and grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on Andrew, unless you want Hochstetter to notice that two certain Sergeants are missing when he inspects the barracks."

Beth quickly followed the two of the down the tunnel. As the door at the end of the entrance closed, she quickly climbed up the ladder and perched at the top of it. She wanted to hear everything that was going on.

*

Klink gave a nervous glance at Hochstetter as they walked towards the entrance to Barracks 2. "What exactly are you hoping to find here, Major?"

Hochstetter glared at Klink, his face its usual bright red (slowly turning purple with rage) color. "For the last time, Klink, I am here to prove that your Colonel Hogan had something to do with the escape of a female Captain from a nearby women's POW camp! I know that man had something to do with this! And this time, I am going to prove it!"

Neither of the men noticed the slight change of expression on Shultz's face, as he followed behind them. For a moment, he looked almost as if he was deep in thought. He quickly shrugged off the idea that was forming in his mind. It was always better to know nothing when it came to matters such as these.

*

Inside the barracks, the men quickly threw themselves on their bunks and grabbed the nearest thing they could reach as the door to the barracks opened, and Kommandant Klink walked in. Newkirk gave a quick glance over at the hidden door to the tunnel. He could have almost swore that he had heard something under there.

He rolled his eyes skyward as he realized what was going on. That girl definitely had her mother's blood in her. Elisabeth was one of the best damn eavesdroppers he had ever met, and it sure seemed like their... no, not their, HER... daughter had inherited the talent.

Newkirk flinched slightly when he heard the "ever-cheerful" voice of Major Hochstetter coming from behind Klink. "Get out of the way you bumbling idiot!" He just hoped that the girl was quiet. And, from the look on the Colonel's face, he wasn't the only one.

*

Hogan quickly looked away from the tunnel entrance as Hochstetter pushed his way in front of Klink. "Move over, you imbecile! That man had something to do with the girl's escape, I know he did!" 

Hogan gave a small grin as Hochstetter rushed over to the table where he was sitting. He didn't even give him a chance to speak. "Why hello Major, I didn't notice that you were here. What can I do to help you?"

Hochstetter glared at him, rage slowly building on his face. "You had something to do with the girl's escape, and I am going to prove it!" 

Hogan gave him an innocent looking grin. "First of all Major, I have no idea what you are talking about. And second..." He stopped short when Major Hochstetter punched him in the stomach with the butt of his gun.

*

For a minute, time seemed to stand still. Then Hogan took a deep breath, trying his best to not let Hochstetter know that he had hurt him. Still, his face flickered with pain for just a moment. 

"Why you bloody..." Kinch and Carter both grabbed Newkirk's arms as jumped up from his bunk. His eyes flickered with anger, and he looked like he was about to personally strangle Hochstetter with his own two hands. He gave an angry sigh as Hogan looked him in the eye and shook his head.

Kinch looked at him with a knowing glint in his eye. "I know how you feel Peter, but that isn't going to help." Newkirk gave a defeated sigh. At that Carter and Kinch slowly let go of his arms.

Hochstetter stood still for a moment, obviously enjoying the flicker of pain that had crossed the American's face. A quiet thumping sound took his attention away from Hogan though. A slightly curious expression crossed his face though, as he looked towards one of the bunks. He started to walk towards it, but was stopped by an angry cry coming from the doorway. 

"Major Hochstetter!!!" Everyone in Barracks Two looked towards the door in surprise. Klink was standing there with an annoyed look on his face. "It is obvious Major that there is no woman here. So unless you have some sort of proof that one of my prisoners had something to do with the escape of the Captain, I suggest that we go to my office and discuss exactly what you a doing here."

The prisoners all stared at Klink with amazed looks on their faces. Had he really said what the had thought he said? Hochstetter, however, glared at Klink. His face was slowly turning a dark purple. "One day Klink, you will go TOO far. And when that day comes, I will be happy to be in charge of the FIRING SQUAD!!!"

With that, he shoved Hogan out of the way and barged out the door. Shultz walked out of the door, holding the door open for the Kommandant. Klink turned to follow him, his face now almost transparent. As they walked away, the prisoners could hear him giving Hochstetter every excuse and apology he could think of.

*

As soon as the door shut, most of the prisoners gave a sigh of relief. Hogan, however, was looking very pale. As he started to slump to the ground, Kinch grabbed him by the arm and steered him into the nearest chair.

Hogan gave a weak grin when he saw the worried expressions on his men's faces. "Don't worry, I just had the wind knocked out of me. That's all." For a moment, he seemed to be deep in thought. "Kinch, you better turn off the radio for awhile. Knowing Hochstetter, he's probably already looking for a signal."

Kinch nodded and turned towards the tunnel. Newkirk quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait a moment mate... Let me do somethin' first." He walked silently over to the tunnel and quickly opened it. As soon as he did, a very loud crash was heard, followed by a stream of profanities that most of the men wouldn't even be caught using.

After a moment, a familiar head with chocolate-brown colored head popped up through the entrance to the tunnel. "You did that on purpose, you bloody bas..." She difficultly refrained herself from telling him exactly what she thought. The small smile on her face showed that she wasn't too upset with him though. 

Hogan caught Kinch's eye and rolled his eyes in exasperation. Then he carefully pulled himself onto his feet. It was pretty obvious that he was still in some pain, but he tried not to let even a flicker of it cross his face. "Kinch, Carter, LeBeau, Newkirk... Meet me in my office in a couple of minutes. Captain McHenry, I want to talk to you, in the tunnel, right now."


	5. Chapter 5

Beth stood very still as Hogan lectured her about not "risking the lives of everyone in the camp." She was trying her best not to start laughing though. It was pretty obvious that he wasn't too upset with her, mainly from the amazed expression on his face when he mentioned Newkirk's manner of "punishment." Besides, she was trying to listen to a conversation going on outside in the tunnel between several of Hogan's men.

Hogan tried his best to give the young girl in front of him an angry scowl, but his heart just wasn't in it. It was pretty obvious that she was sorry for almost getting them caught. He could tell that she wasn't sorry for eavesdropping though, especially since she was trying to at that very moment.

He gave a sigh of surrender as he sank down onto a rickety stool that was sitting in the room. "Fine then, I give up. It is obvious that you are just as stubborn as your fath.." Hogan trailed off as a slightly dark expression crossed her face. "I mean... I thought that the two of you were finally getting along. Since you were joking and everything..." Once again he trailed off, letting the curious expression on his face ask the questions.

Beth gave him a weak grin. "We are startin' to get along. Just not as father and daughter." She slowly sat down on her cot. "We are actin' as if we 'ad never met before las' night. It is better that way. Because of the way 'e left me..." This time, she was the once who trailed off. 

Hogan gave the girl in front of him a brief smile. "I think that I understand... I'll send someone down in a little while with some food." He carefully pulled himself up, wincing slightly as he did. "I better go and see what Hochstetter is up to."

As he walked off, Beth called behind him. "Colonel Hogan, are you sure that you are fine?" 

He turned to her with the usual roguish grin on his face. "Don't worry about me, Captain. I've been through a lot worse. Of course, at the time I didn't know that letting my brother tie a string to my front tooth, and then attaching it to the door of the car would be painful." He had to laugh at the shocked expression on her face. "I _was_ only eight at the time..."

*

While Beth's "discipline" was being taken care of by Colonel Hogan down in the tunnel, the others were waiting for him in his office. Kinch was listening to the conversation going on in Klink's office, via a small coffeepot. LeBeau was leaning against the wall, shooting glances through the window every now and then to make sure no Gestapo agents were hanging around. Carter was standing beside the door, shooting glances at Newkirk, who was leaning against the opposite wall, every few minutes.

Newkirk gave an exasperated sigh when he saw Carter staring at him again. "Andrew, will you tell me what the bloody 'ell is so interestin' about me that makes you keep starin'?" Carter mumbled something and quickly decided that it was much more interesting to watch Kinch and LeBeau.

Newkirk gave a sigh as he muttered several "colorful" remarks about Carter. The young American's face fell just a little, until he saw the smile playing at the corners of Newkirk's lips. Carter rolled his eyes and threw Hogan's pillow at Newkirk, hitting him right in the face. Of course, he had to throw it back to Carter. And then Carter threw it back to him. And then he threw it back to Carter. And then he threw it back to Newkirk...

*

Hogan shook his head in an amused way as he opened the door to his office. LeBeau was standing by the window, trying to stand guard and not be hit with a flying pillow at the same time. Kinch was listening to whatever was going on in Klink's office, an amused smile on his face. Newkirk and Carter were acting like schoolchildren, throwing a small pillow with a slit down the middle of it around the room.

Hogan's eyes grew a little wider when he finally recognized the pillow that they were throwing. He groaned slightly as about half of the inside of the pillow suddenly appeared on his floor. Hogan cleared his throat loudly, his eyes focused on the part of his pillow that was now laying all over the floor.

Carter and Newkirk both seemed to realize at about the exact same time why the colonel was glaring at them, obviously slightly annoyed. They looked at each other slightly sheepishly. "I'll be 'appy to sew up your pillow for you, Guv'nor. It will give me somethin' to do." 

From the look on Newkirk's face it was pretty obvious that he was hoping that Hogan would tell him not to worry about it. One look from the colonel told him that he wouldn't be that lucky. "Of course, Guv'nor, Carter 'ere volunteers to 'elp me." This, of course, was met by a very loud, "I do?"

The conversation was cut off pretty quickly by Kinch, who had taken off the small headphones that he had been wearing and laying them on the table. He looked up at Hogan with an unreadable look on his face. "Well, there is good news and bad news. Except for Louis..." Kinch looked over at the Frenchman with a slightly amused look on his face. "For him there is good news, and, for some strange reason, better news." 

At these words, Hogan gave a slight groan and leaned against the wall. "I guess that the old saying is right. It never rains, it pours. Or in our case, it becomes a hurricane."

Seeing the bewildered look on LeBeau's, Carter's, and Newkirk's faces, he gave a wry grin. "Think about what Kinch told us, and then think a little harder." 

Newkirk's eyes grew wide as he too groaned and leaned heavily against the wall. LeBeau, however, acted like he had just been told that the war was over. Carter gave them all a wide-eyed look. "I still don't get it!"


	6. Chapter 6

Carter looked around at the annoyed faces on everyone but LeBeau. "Come on guys, someone tell me what's going one. Colonel? Kinch? Newkirk? LeBeau?"

No one bothered to answer Carter. They were all too preoccupied by the same question. Newkirk looked around and gave an exasperated sigh. "Kinch if you don't mind me askin', what in the bloody 'ell does Marya 'ave to do with anythin'?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Carter reacted. "Marya? The Russian? The one who always causes trouble for us? Boy, I can see why LeBeau might be happy to hear that. Wait a sec... What does she have to do with anything?"  
Newkirk looked over at him with an amazed expression on his face. "Mates, I think that Carter 'ere has finally flipped 'is marbles. 'E's gone completely balmy. All that spoutin' off, and all 'e wanted to know was exactly what I asked in the firs' place." He shot Kinch a quick look. "An' someone still 'asn't told us that."

Kinch gave a slightly exasperated sigh. "If a few people would give me a chance to speak, I might be able to tell you what I heard..." He grinned at the slightly sheepish look on Newkirk and Carter's faces. "As I was trying to say, I'm not really sure what she has to do with anything. All I know is that for some reason Hochstetter mentioned her, and we all know what that probably means..."

"Uh-huh," Hogan broke in with a slight frown playing on his face. "It means that we're about to be dragged into the middle of whatever she's up to." He motioned towards the other men as he headed towards the tunnel.

*

"Major Hochstetter, will you tell me what exactly you want here?" Klink sat behind his desk, nervously wiped his monocle with a small cloth. "You come here demanding to see Colonel Hogan because you are convinced that he knows something about a missing prisoner, who just happens to be a woman. And now, you claim that this has something to do with the Russian, Marya."

Shultz spoke up from the door where he was standing guard. "It makes sense to me, Herr Kommandant." Klink's face turned almost as red as Hochstetter's. "Be quiet, you dummkopf! You're not supposed to be in here anyway. You are supposed to be guarding the door from the outside!" Shultz shouldered his gun and walked as quickly as he could out of Klink's office, muttering under his breath the whole time.

After the large German had left the room, Hochstetter stood up and glared at Klink. "What I want here is none of your concern, Klink. I am here, and you are going to cooperate with me. That is all that you need to know." Hochstetter turned his back to Klink and walked towards the door. He started to open it, but then he stopped and looked back at Klink. "I suggest that you do cooperate. It would be very - unwise - to go against me. Do I make myself clear, Klink?"

Klink gave a quick nod to Hochstetter. However, as soon as the man left his office, his face darkened just a little. "Of course Major. Whatever you say."

*

Beth jumped a little as several of the men came stomping by the room she was in. Shooting a worried glance towards the hallway, she gingerly stood up and walked towards the doorway. As she stepped into the hallway, she was once again ran over by one of the men. This time, however, it wasn't Carter. "Um... Sorry about that, Corporal Newkirk."

He just nodded as he pulled himself up off of the ground. He turned towards her with a grim smile on his face. "That's fine, Captain McHenry. Now, if you'll excuse me, we 'ave a slight problem." He gave her one more look, before he turned to walk on past her.

"Problem? What kin' of problem?" She glared at Newkirk as he walked on. 'Excuse me... I asked you a question. 'Ello, do you 'ear me? What kin' of problem?" He looked back at her with a firm expression on his face. "It's none of your concern, Captain."

With a determined expression on her face, she prepared to run after him. She was stopped, however, by a firm hand placing itself on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself staring into Kinch's eyes. He gave her a sympathetic smile as he shook his head. 

She looked into his eyes, and then gave a weary sigh. "Fine then, will you tell me what the 'ell is going on? First, Colonel 'ogan comes stompin' by, an' then 'e does. Am I correct in assumin' that they 'ave a good reason for bein' upset?" 

Kinch looked at the young woman standing in front of him. She was trying to make it seem like she didn't really care what was going on, but there was a hint of curiosity in her eyes. Actually, it was probably a lot more that just a hint... 

He grinned as he walked by her. With a quick motion of his hands, he told her to follow him. As they walked, he slowly began explaining why everyone (except LeBeau) was in such a bad mood. "You see, there is this Russian - Marya - who is usually a very large pain in the..."


	7. Chapter 7

Marya looked over at the German general that was sitting beside her. Smiling wickedly, she leaned towards him and gently kissed his ear. They would be at Stalag 13 within the hour, and she wanted to make sure that it would be perfectly safe for her when they arrived. This was the easiest way to get the general to believe anything she said.

Slowly she let her finger caress his face, and then they moved down towards his chest. Knowing that she had gotten his attention, she tenderly moved her lips towards his. A thought crossed through her mind as their lips met. 'Men - they are so easy to trick... I mean _persuade_.'

*

Beth walked quickly beside Kinch, letting him tell her - briefly - everything that he knew about the Russian. Her eyes twinkled with merriment as he mentioned the fact that Marya would - to the Colonel's horror - pursue him every time she appeared, and the fact that LeBeau wouldn't let a word be said about her.

She was about to ask him a question when they reached the main radio room. The words never left her lips when she saw the look on Hogan, Newkirk, and Carter's faces. Noticing that LeBeau wasn't with them, she shot a quizzical look at the tall, black man standing beside her. Kinch just shrugged his shoulders, an amused look on his face.

The missing corporal suddenly came rushing past them, smelling quite strongly of what seemed to be some sort of aftershave. The young woman bit her tongue to keep from bursting out in laughter. LeBeau stopped in front of the colonel, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to catch his breath. "Mon colonel, may I be the first to volunteer to meet with Marya when she arrives at camp."

Hogan just looked at him, his eyes wide with amusement. "You have to be kidding, LeBeau. Do you not remember what happened the last time that she was here?"

LeBeau's eyes widened in confusion. Newkirk gave him one look before giving his two-bits worth. "Blood 'ell, Louis. She almost got us killed, remember?" 

LeBeau's eyes widened slightly as his friend's words connected with his brain. "It was not her fault! It was... It was..."

Carter caught Beth's eye as he walked over and tapped the small Frenchman on the arm. "I think that the words you're looking for are 'her fault.' Right?" Newkirk gave a loud burst of laughter as LeBeau's face started to turn a deep shade of purple - not that much different than the color of Hochstetter's.

Before anything had a chance to escalate into a fight, a young black man came rushing into the radio room. "Sorry to bother you, but that Russian woman just came in the front gate with a German general." 

The men gave each other quick looks before they turned to quickly hurry back to the barracks. Hogan turned and gave Beth a quick look. In a slightly sarcastic voice he told her exactly what he wanted her to do. "Why don't you stay away from the tunnel openings this time? It will probably be safer for all of us." 

Carter gave her a sympathetic look as he walked by. Beth just smiled at him, trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall down her face. She started slightly as Kinch placed a firm hand on her arm. "Don't feel bad, Captain. The colonel is just a little upset about having to see Marya again. The last time she was here wasn't exactly much fun, as you can probably guess."

*

Klink sat behind his desk, trying his best not to appear nervous. There was nothing to be worried about. Only the fact that General Frolich was sitting in front of him, the Russian woman - Marya - practically sitting in his lap. And, of course, Major Hochstetter standing behind him wasn't exactly his idea of fun either. 

Of course, there was nothing to be worried about though. Just the chance of death, being sent to the Russian front, being pursued by that... that... woman. He shuddered slightly as that thought crossed his mind. Maybe death wouldn't be that bad.

Klink carefully stood up and smiled at the general. "If you would like sir, I can have Shultz take your things to the guest quarters. I'm sure that the two of you must be tired after your drive." 

The general looked at Klink for a moment, the look of distaste in his eyes obvious even to the Kommandant himself. It was quite obvious that the general didn't appreciate Klink's groveling. With a sigh, the general stood up. "You can take Marya to your guest quarters. I need to place a call to Berlin."

Marya stood up as Klink shot her another nervous glance. She merely winked at him as the enormous bulk of Sergeant Hans Shultz walked through the door to accompany her to the quarters. As she left the room, she glanced quickly at the picture of Hitler that was hanging on the Kommandant's wall. Hogan should be getting to the guest quarters in a few minutes.

*

Hogan looked at the slightly angry look on Kinch's face. Finally he sighed deeply. "Fine... I'll go and talk to Marya, and then I'll apologize to Captain McHenry. Why don't you send that new guy - what's his name, Stevenson - to try and find her. She got to be down in the tunnel somewhere."

Kinch looked at Hogan for a moment, laughter twinkling in his eyes. "I agree with the apologizing part, but are you sure that you want to talk to Marya? I mean, you could always send LeBeau like he asked..."

The colonel stood up and walked out of the room before Kinch even finished his sentence. The sergeant smiled gently as he stood up and followed him. Motioning for a young, dark-haired man sitting on a nearby bunk to follow, he quickly climbed down into the tunnel. "Stevenson, I need you to go and find Captain McHenry. She's around here somewhere."

As Kinch walked off, he didn't see the look in the man's eyes as the word "she" registered in his mind. Stevenson gave a grim smile as he walked off down the tunnel, looking for the girl. In his mind, however, other thoughts were playing out.

*

Marya sat in one of the chairs that sat in Klink's guest quarters. A slightly impatient look crossed her face as she looked wearily up at the clock that was hanging on the nearby wall. "Hogan should be here in five, four, three, two, one..." Her voice trailed off the stove near the wall swung open and a familiar face popped up. "Hello, Colonel Hogan. I expected you to be here sooner than this."

Hogan gave an exasperated sigh as he pulled himself up out of the tunnel and into the room. Giving her an annoyed look, he slowly walked over towards the Russian woman. "This better be good, Marya."

*

Beth leaned against the walls of the tunnel, an annoyed look on her face. She wasn't as helpless as they thought she was. God, if they knew half of the things she had done back in London... She shook her head quickly to clear those thoughts from her head. No, she couldn't tell them about any of that. Not yet anyway.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even hear the footsteps coming up behind her until a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. Spinning around with a gasp, she stared into the face of a handsome, American sergeant - obviously one of Hogan's men. She weakly grabbed her heart. "God, you scared me. What are you doin' wanderin' around down here? Trying to terrify me?"

The man shook his head, a smile crossing his lips. "Sorry about that, Captain. Sergeant Kinchloe asked me to come looking for you. I thought that you would hear me coming up."

Beth gave a weak smile. "I guess that my thoughts were somewhere else other that 'ere. Kinch wanted to see me, Sergeant..." Her voice trailed off, not knowing the man's name. She looked at him with a curious expression on her face.

"Stevenson, ma'am. I'm Sergeant John Stevenson." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he gently placed his hands on her shoulder. "Why don't you come with me?" 

Beth shrugged as she let the young man lead her. After a few minutes, however, her eyes widened slightly as she realized that they weren't heading towards the main tunnel. "Hey! What the 'ell are you doin'!? We're headin' towards the abandoned part of the tunnel! Let me go!"  
Stevenson looked into Beth's eyes, the longing in them now noticeable to her. She struggled for a moment as he roughly placed his hands over her mouth. Wild thoughts ran through her mind as she struggled to loosen the grip the man had on her. 'Please, not again. I don't think that I can stand it again.' 

Wildly, she flailed her arms - loosening the grip on her shoulders. She automatically turned and kicked the sergeant right below his belt. He gasped for a moment, and stumbled before grabbing her again. Knowing that she stood no match against the larger, heavier man, Beth did the only thing that she could think of... She screamed at the top of her lungs.

*

Hogan sat across from Marya, the look on his face one of slight anger and annoyance. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her - fire practically shooting from his eyes. "Well? Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on, or not?"

She gave his a seducing smile as she stood up and walked over to him. Sitting down beside him, she gently ran her finger across his chest. "I need your help, darling. Could you not have guessed that by now?"

As her lips came closer and closer to his, Hogan abruptly stood up. His eyes were cold as he looked into hers. "Damnit, Marya... The last time you were here, you almost got me and my men killed! Did you really think that I would just forget about that?"

The Russian pulled away, anger and longing both burning in her eyes. She quickly stood up to face him. For a minute, the two of them looked like they were about to kill each other. Suddenly though, Marya grabbed him and pulled his lips onto hers. 

The kiss lasted for a few moments before Hogan pulled away, his face livid with anger. Marya looked at him with a challenge burning in her face. He looked at her face, studying it for a moment before saying a word. "Damn... I'm going to regret this, but I'll help you. Again."

She smiled at him, an almost invisible trace of surprise in her eyes. Slowly she leaned back towards him for another kiss. This time, though, he quickly dodged her. "Oh no you don't. Not again..."

Marya gave an annoyed sigh as Hogan turned back towards the hidden tunnel. As he pushed the lever that would open the entrance to the tunnel, however, both of their eyes widened. The sound of a quite feminine scream could be heard from the underground maze. Marya looked towards the tunnel in shock - a woman, here? "Hogan!?" 

The American colonel didn't even look at her as he swung himself down into the tunnel. As the stove swung back into its original position, Marya stared at it for a moment. A rare worried look appeared on her face. "Another woman? Here? This could be a problem. Yes, this could be a very large problem."


	8. Chapter 8

Newkirk looked up sharply as the sound of a woman's scream echoed through the tunnel system. Looking over at Carter, he could see without asking that he had heard it too. Neither of them said a word as they dropped what they were doing and raced down the tunnel.

A mixture of worry and anger shone in the Englishman's eyes as he ran. Looking at Carter, he saw pure worry in the young man's face. "The girl probably saw a rat or somethin' in the tunnel and screamed. Damnit! If the Krauts hear her, the whole operation could be discovered."

Carter looked at his friend for a moment as they ran. He had gotten to know Beth pretty well over the last few days, and she didn't really seem like someone who would start screaming over a rat. As a thought crossed his mind, he quickly picked up the pace.

*

Beth struggled as Stevenson shoved her against the tunnel wall. Tears were streaming down her face, and several colorful profanities were coming out of her mouth as the American sergeant pushed his lips against hers.

She felt blind panic shoot up her spine as he fumbled with the buttons on the front of her shirt. Memories of past events went through her mind as she tried her best to push him off of her. Finally, as she flung her fists wildly, she managed to land her clenched fist right on the man's nose. Giving out a cry of rage, he practically threw her onto the floor. She lay there in a daze, vaguely aware of a sharp pain shooting up her arm.

Looking up at him with terror in her eyes, she tried to pull herself up into a sitting position. When she put pressure on her left arm, however, it collapsed underneath the weight she paced on it. Knowing that there was nothing else that she could do, she slowly relaxed - quiet sobs shaking her body as she lay there unmoving.

She felt him grab her shirt and roughly pull at the buttons. As he yanked on the shirt, the sharp pain once again shot up her arm - causing her to cry out in pain. With an angry cry, he slapped her in the face and placed one of his hands over her mouth.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps heading in their direction. With a burst of energy, she bit the man's hand as hard as she could. As his hand flew off of her mouth, she opened it and gave out another scream. As darkness started to come over her, she noticed a vague form running towards her. At the sound of some yelling, she let it overtake her completely.

*

As Hogan rounded a corner of the tunnel, he was shocked to see the young woman lying on the floor, her shirt ripped open. With an angry yell, he threw himself at the man, Stevenson, who was standing over her. "What the hell are you doing!?"

The sergeant nimbly stepped to the side, grabbing the colonel by the arms as he missed him by inches. With a murderous look in his eyes, he flung Hogan into the wall of the tunnel - knocking the man to his knees.

Hogan quickly pulled himself to his feet, stumbling just a bit as he did. He placed his hand on the tunnel wall to steady himself as Stevenson punched him in the face. The colonel gave a muffled cry as the sergeant's fist plowed into his face. Still, he managed to keep on his feet as he punched back.

Stevenson gave out a yell of rage as the colonel's fist caught him in the chest. Suddenly he gave a quiet laugh - a maniacal laugh. Grabbing a small piece of piping that was laying on the floor of the tunnel, he brought it down on the colonel's head with all of his might. Hogan's legs seemed to collapse as he fell to his knees. After a moment, though, he looked up in anger, a thin line of blood trickling down his face. 

Grabbing the man by the arms, he practically drove him into the wall. Forcing himself to his feet, he grabbed the sergeant's arms and forced them behind his back. With an angry cry, he then pushed Stevenson's face into the wall. Ignoring the man's cries, Hogan weakly leaned over and picked up the piece of pipe. He was just about to smash it into the sergeant's face when he heard the sound of footsteps coming from another branch of the tunnel.

He looked at the pipe in his hands, an expression of shock on his face. He quickly dropped it, as if it was on fire. He didn't release his grip on the man he was holding though. As Carter and Newkirk came running up, he looked at them with a weak grin on his face.

*

Newkirk stared at the scene in front of him in shock. Hogan was holding Stevenson, a new American prisoner, against the wall of the tunnel. There was a steadily increasing stream of blood trickling down the colonel's face, and he looked like he was about to collapse. The Englishman was about to rush over to him when he heard Carter's voice coming from behind him. "Oh my God! Beth!"

The young American practically dashed to the still form that was lying on the ground behind the colonel. Newkirk felt a slow sense of dread creep up him. He hadn't even noticed her there. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he quickly hurried over to the help.

When he reached Hogan, he quickly placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Looking him in the eyes, he asked the question that he already knew the answer to. "What the 'ell 'appened 'ere Guv'nor?"

Hogan just stared at him, the look in his eyes telling Newkirk that he was right about what had taken place. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to go blank as the colonel's legs seemed to collapse. As he fell, Stevenson suddenly tried to pull free. With an angry cry, Newkirk grabbed him and forced him back against the wall. Looking over towards the girl's still form, he saw that Carter was kneeling beside her - a worried look on his face.

Newkirk looked around him, quickly summing up in his mind what had happened. Then he turned towards Carter. "Damnit Andrew, don't just sit there. Go and get some bloody 'elp!" 

Carter knelt there a minute, staring at the unconscious girl. Then he quickly pulled off his jacket and lay it over her. He slowly looked over at Newkirk before he stood up and hurried back down the tunnel.

Newkirk looked over at her unconscious form and then down at Hogan, who was weakly climbing back to his feet. He quickly called after the departing sergeant. "I suggest that you 'urry about gettin' that 'elp mate. It looks like they might be needin' some medical attention."

*

Marya sat alone in the guest quarters, pondering over the scream that she had heard. It had definitely came from a woman, that she was sure of. Who was it though? Perhaps a member of the local Underground? 

Suddenly something that the Gestapo agent, Hochstetter, had had said as she left the room came into her mind. He had been convinced that Hogan had been involved with an escape from a nearby women's POW camp. Maybe he hadn't been that far off after all. A smile came onto her face as everything started to fall into place.

The Russian gave a quiet laugh as she thought about how she could work this new fact into her mission. "This could very well work to my advantage. Another woman could make everything much more... interesting."

*

Kinch stood in the radio room, quietly overlooking the other black man who was sitting there. The colonel had wanted him to teach at least one other prisoner how to use the radio, in case there was ever an emergency and he wasn't there. Baker had volunteered almost immediately to become his protegee, and he had been a very good student. Usually, at least.

Kinch held back a laugh as he tapped the young man on the shoulder. He couldn't help but smile, however, as he pointed to the practice message that the young man had just copied down. 'Attack on ammo dump cancelled. Stop. Reschedule for three days later. Stop. Wait for flying monkeys. Stop.'

As Baker looked at what he had written, he burst into laughter himself. He quickly sobered and gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, sir. I guess that I made a... slight error."

Kinch gave him a sympathetic look before patting the young man on the back. "Don't worry about it, Baker. You should have seen some of my messages when I started out. 'Watch out for patrols, penguins, and flying saucers. Stop. Pirate ships spotted in Grand Canyon. Stop.' And those were some of the more correct ones."

Baker burst into laughter as Kinch gave him a reassuring grin. Slowly though, Kinch's chuckles faded away as he looked down at his watch. "Where the hell is Stevenson? He was supposed to be here with Captain McHenry ages ago."

Kinch slowly shrugged his shoulders. He was about to say something else, when he heard the sound of what sounded like French curses coming from the main tunnel. As he picked up on the meaning of a few of the words, he quickly excused himself and rushed out of the room.

LeBeau was standing in the tunnel, looking at his watch and cursing very loudly in his native language. Kinch quickly grabbed his arm, and twisted it ever slightly. The curses quickly changed into cries of pain and hurried explanations. "What do you think you are doing!? Do I not have the right to state my opinion? Mon colonel has been with my love for much too long, and I have yet to see her. Can you not understand my anger?"

Kinch let go of the small Frenchman's arm and rolled his eyes. Then he quickly looked at him. "What are you talking about? The colonel isn't back from meeting with Marya yet? I thought that he was planning on getting that done as quickly as he could."

LeBeau looked at him with an indignant look on his face. "So did I, but it seems that mon colonel is enjoying his visit with her more that he usually does."

Kinch gave him a disbelieving look. Then he gave a quiet laugh. "You can trust me on one thing, LeBeau. the colonel is definitely NOT enjoying anything whatsoever about being with Marya. He probably already came back and then left to get some information from either Klink or Shultz."

"Or maybe Sergeant Stevenson went crazy and just attacked Beth over in the abandoned part of the tunnel, and the colonel got hurt trying to help her, and she's lying on the ground unconscious, and Newkirk sent me to get help, and why are you guys just standing around?" 

Both of the men turned around as Carter, gasping for breath, appeared behind them. He grabbed hold of the wall to keep his balance as he stared at them. "Well, are you coming or not?" 

He quickly turned and started back in the direction he had come from. Kinch and LeBeau looked at each other for a moment before dashing after him. As he passed by the radio room, Kinch stuck his head in the doorway. "Baker, go and find Wilson. He's had a little bit of medical training, and we need some help here. Meet us in the abandoned part of the tunnel. And hurry, will ya."

*

Newkirk looked over at Hogan, who was kneeling beside the girl. With a worried tremble in his voice, he opened his mouth to ask the question that had been plaguing him for the last several minutes. "'ow bad is she 'urt, Guv'nor?" 

Hogan looked over at him, surprised to hear genuine worry in the Englishman's voice. He gave a weak smile. "I think that she'll be fine. The only thing that I can see wrong with her is a few cuts and bruises."

He ran his hands over her arms and legs, making sure that nothing was hurt there. He flinched slightly was he felt something hard under the skin of her left arm. "And possibly a broken arm."

Newkirk looked over at him, the relief in his eyes quite apparent. Then he looked at the colonel with a questionable gaze. "What about you, Guv'nor. Are you sure that you'll be fine?"

Hogan gave an annoyed sigh as he gently rubbed his throbbing head. "Like I've told you the last five times you asked, I'm pretty sure that I'll be fine other than a throbbing headache."

He looked over at Stevenson, who had given up on trying to fight his way free from the iron grasp that as on him. "Of course, I'm not really sure what the hell to do with him. If we send him back to London, then Klink's prefect record would be broken. And if we try to get him transferred, he'll just rat us out."

Newkirk gave him a malicious grin. "You know Guv'nor, 'e could just 'ave an... unfortunate accident. 'e could accidentally step in front of a jeep, or 'e could accidentally get shot while tryin' to escape."

The colonel looked at him sharply for a moment before giving a sigh of resignation. "We might have to do just that."

The Englishman's eyes almost popped out of his head at that. "We could!?!? Guv'nor, I was just... I mean... Would that not be like murder... Or..."

Hogan looked at him and gave a sigh. "I know Newkirk, but that might be the only way. For the moment, though, we have more important things to think about. Like where the hell Carter is."

Newkirk gave a tender look at the unconscious girl. For a moment, Hogan thought that he was about to start crying. At the sound of hurried footsteps headed in their direction, however, his eyes quickly changed back into their usual coldness. If he looked carefully though, a tiny bit of tenderness could still be seen in them.

*

Carter, Kinch, and LeBeau came dashing up, the latter two pausing at the sight before them. Carter quickly ran past Newkirk and dropped to his knees beside the colonel. He looked at Beth for a moment, running his hands gently through her hair. Then he looked up at the colonel. "How is she?"

Hogan gave a weak smile at the concern in the young man's voice. "I think that she's going to be fine. Oh, and thanks for your concern about my well-being, Carter. It really means a lot to me."

The young American's face turned bright red. "Oh, I'm sorry Colonel Hogan. I mean, I wasn't trying to ignore you. I was just worried about Beth, and..." 

Hogan gave a loud laugh, but it was quickly replaced by coughing. When blood started coming out of his mouth as he coughed, it quickly brought Kinch and LeBeau to their senses. Kinch quickly grabbed Stevenson and tied some rope around his wrists while Newkirk held him still. Then the two of them hurried over to where Carter and LeBeau were helping the two officers.

Kinch gave a good look at them and headed back towards the main tunnel. "I'm going to go tell Wilson to hurry up and get here. It looks like you could have used some help about ten minutes ago. Newkirk, you grab Stevenson and follow me."

As they hurried off, Kinch looked behind him once again. Then he motioned for Newkirk to stop. The black man gave a smile, and then shoved Stevenson against the wall. "Trust me pal, if either of them is hurt badly - you're going to wish that you were never even born. Do I make myself clear?"

Stevenson looked him squarely in the eyes before spitting on the ground. "Yes sir, I understand. If they're hurt, then I'm going to be beaten up by a nig..." 

His sentence was cut short by Newkirk's fist plowing into his face. The Englishman looked over at Kinch with a wry grin. "I'm gettin' tired of 'is mouth. 'ow about you?"

Kinch looked at him for a moment, a grim expression on his face. Then, with a agreeing nod, he carefully ripped some cloth from his shirt and shoved it into the man's mouth. "There, now we don't have to listen to him anymore. Now, let's go and get Wilson to hurry his ass up."


	9. Chapter 9

Colonel Hogan sat on one of the rickety chairs that was kept down in the tunnel, flinching very now and then as Kinch cleaned out the cut on his head. When it was cleaned up to the black man's approval, he tried to stand up. However, as soon as his feet touched the ground the world started to spin around him. Dejectedly, he sat back down and waited for everything to stop moving.

As everything came back into focus, Hogan turned around in the chair so that he could look at Captain McHenry. She was lying on "her" cot, and Wilson was carefully putting a bandage on her left arm - luckily the bone wasn't actually broken, only cracked. There were a variety of cuts and bruises on her arms and face, but she actually looked quite peaceful lying there asleep.

After sitting there for a few minutes, Hogan once again tried to stand up. This time he was expecting it when the world started to spin, so he just grabbed the back of the chair and let his head clear. "Wilson, is she going to ok?"

When the medic looked at him and gave a reassuring smile, Hogan motioned for Kinch and Newkirk to follow him. As they stepped out into the main tunnel, the colonel looked at them both for a moment. Then he turned to Kinch. "Did you find out anything about Stevenson? Anything that might explain his... behavior."

The black radioman gave him a grim smile. "Actually, I did. While Wilson was checking you up over in the abandoned tunnel, I talked to a couple of Sergeant Stevenson's friends. It seems that there have been a few... problems with him before. That's part of the reason he was assigned to his position - no women."

Hogan looked up at the sky, an exasperated expression on his face. Finally he looked at the two men again. "Damn. Why couldn't people tell us these things beforehand. I was thinking about assigning him to go and meet with some Underground agents next week. God, wouldn't it have been just terrific if he had pulled this stunt then."

Newkirk looked over at the colonel for a moment, a concerned expression on his face. "Guv'nor... What are we goin' to do with the bloke? I mean, us tellin' Klink that 'e went nuts and attacked you will give us an excuse to keep 'im locked up in the barracks for a little while, but even our wonderful Kommandant won't let us keep 'im there forever."

Hogan looked at the two men for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few minutes, his eyes seemed to light up. He turned and hurried down the tunnel. "If Marya wants our help this time, she's going to have to pay for it with a little help of her own. I'm going to go and pay our Russian guest another visit."

As he hurried off, Kinch and Newkirk gave each other worried glances. "Do you think the Guv'nor 'it 'is 'ead a little 'arder than we thought, Kinch? Or maybe I 'it mine. I could 'ave sworn that I just 'eard 'im say that 'e was goin' to go visit Marya again. And we both know that 'e wouldn't 'ave said somethin' like that. Would 'e?"

*

Marya sat on the edge of the chair, pondering about the mysterious woman that she had heard. She was now convinced that it was the escaped prisoner Hochstetter was looking for that they had down there. Her thoughts were interrupted by a scraping sound coming from the stove. A grin spread across her face as a familiar face popped up out of the tunnel underneath it. "Hogan, darling! I was not expecting you back so soon."

Hogan gave her a long stare, not even cracking a smile. "I'm not in the mood for this, Marya. I want some details on what you're doing here, and then I'm going to tell you what we want in return.

The Russian gave him a quick look. "Of course, darling. I will be happy to tell you what I am here for. I would like a few questions of my own answered first though. Such as, who is that woman I heard earlier?"

*

Beth's eyes opened suddenly, and she shot up from where she was laying. She probably would have fell right off of the cot if she hadn't been grabbed by four pairs of hands. Carter was sitting on her left, and the medic - Wilson - was at her right. She looked at the two men with a terrified expression on her face. "Stevenson? Where is 'e? What 'appened? What... Where... 'ow..."

She was starting to hyperventilate when Carter gently placed his arms around her shoulders. "Calm down, and try breathing slowly. Everything's going to be fine, Cap... Beth. Everything's going to be fine."

She slowly gasped for breath as she tried to calm down. After a few minutes, she was mostly calmed down. Finally, she looked up at Carter with terrified eyes. "Where is 'e? What 'appened?"

When her answer came from behind her, she practically jumped out of her skin before she realized that it was Newkirk who had answered. "The Guv'nor got to 'im before anythin' 'appened. We 'ave Stevenson locked up. Are you... 'ow are you doin'?"

Beth looked up at him for a moment, unsure of how to answer. Finally she gave out a loud sigh. "I'll survive. At least... At least this time someone stepped in and stopped it from goin' any further than it did. That last time..." She stopped short, obviously horrified about what she had said. "I mean... Damn."

Newkirk stared at her for a moment, shock registering on his face. After a few moments, he spun around and hurried out of the room. Beth watched him leave, and then turned around to face the young American soldier standing behind her. There were tears of hurt swimming in her eyes as she looked into his. "Andrew, will you talk to 'im? 'E probably doesn't want to talk, but still..."

Carter smiled at the girl and stood up. As he walked after the retreating Englishman, his eyes suddenly glazed over. He muttered under his breath as he hurried to catch up with his friend, "What am I doing? Newkirk's gonna kill me."

*

Hogan looked over at the Russian woman beside him with a grim look on his face. "She's an escapee from a woman's POW camp. That's all you need to know, Marya. Now, are you going to tell me why you're here or not?"

The Russian woman looked at him with a smile. "Actually darling, the reason I am here is mostly routine. You saw the general I arrived with, did you not? He has some... valuable information... in his possession, and I must get hold of it. Then, perhaps, he will have a unfortunate accident."

Hogan looked at her for a moment and the gave out a loud sigh. "Fine, we'll help you - as long as it won't get any of my men killed. You're going to pay us back this time, though. I have a prisoner here who... Well, let's just say he won't be here much longer."

Marya looked at the American colonel for a moment, studying the seriousness in his face. "Just tell me what you want done with him, darling, and I'll arrange it. Do you want him to suffer an unfortunate accident?"

Hogan gave her a stare, and she merely shrugged. "No, I don't want him dead. It might be helpful if you could make it seem like he was though. Then we could ship him back to London without Klink's 'perfect' record being broken."

*

Carter walked up to his English friend and hesitatingly placed his hand on his shoulder. Newkirk spun around immediately and actually drew his hand back before he saw who was standing there. He slowly let his hand drop as he looked at his friend. "Bloody 'ell mate, don't do that."

The American just shrugged his shoulders and gave Newkirk a hapless look. Slowly though, the twinkle in his eyes faded. "Do you wanna talk, Newkirk? I mean... Beth asked me to come and talk with you, and..."

Newkirk suddenly looked at him. Carter's eyes widened at the sadness in his eyes. "There's nothin' to talk about mate. It's pretty obvious that she's been through 'ell - and mostly 'cause I wasn't there to be a father to 'er. Just like my own father wasn't there for me or my sister."

He turned away from Carter and slowly walked over to the wall. He leaned against it and looked at the young American sergeant standing in front of him. Carter looked at him for a moment, as a strange expression came into his eyes. 

"You might not have been there for her then, but you can be there for her now. If the two of you weren't so damn stubborn, then maybe none of this would have happened." Newkirk looked over at Carter, a surprised expression on his face. Carter, however, wasn't finished yet. 

"I don't care how bad you feel for yourself, you're hurting her by doing this. Go back in there and at least be civil to her - and that's an order, Corporal." As he finished, a shocked look came into Carter's eyes - like he couldn't believe what he had just said.

At the last part, Newkirk's eyes blazed. He walked over to Carter and punched him right in the nose. Carter reeled back for a moment and tried not to faint. "That, mate, was for mentionin' all of that in your little speech."

Suddenly Newkirk looked at the young American who was looking at him in shock. He then gave a weak smile and placed his arm around the shoulders of the surprised young man. "And this, Andrew, is for being right about all of it. Come on, let's go... Sorry about losin' my temper there. You just took me by surprise with all that. It's 'ard to remember that you actually know what you're talkin' about at times."


	10. Chapter 10

Beth quietly sat on her cot, trying to block out the memories that had been drudged up by the attack. She knew that Wilson was still in the room, watching her with worried eyes. 'The man probably thinks that I'm havin' some type of emotional breakdown... God, 'e'd probably be right.'

She felt the tears start trickling down her face before she could do anything to stop them. Choking back another quiet sob, the young woman quickly placed her hands over her face to hide the streams of salty water that were now streaming down her face. Why was she crying now? It wasn't like this was the first time something like this had happened to her. Still, there was something different...

Deep down, Beth already knew why she was crying. It was because of the look she had seen in her fath... Corporal Newkirk's face. When she had blurted out that stupid sentence, there had been so many different emotions flashing through his eyes. She had seen shock, pain, understanding, guilt... and disappointment. God, what had she expected from him?

The answer came to her mind before she could stop it - love. 'Bloody 'ell, what was I expectin'? The man 'adn't even thought 'bout me in almost twenty years. Now, I walk back into 'is life suddenly and expect 'im to welcome me with open arms and an open 'eart?'

As the last of her tears finally trickled down her face, a quiet sigh escaped her lips. She gave a weak, tired smile as she wiped her eyes and looked back up. "God almighty, I'm such a bloody fool."

Beth jumped into the air as a quiet laugh came from behind her. This time, however, she wasn't the only one. Wilson, who had been kneeling beside her with a worried expression on his face, had also jumped. Since he was already halfway sitting though, he fell to the ground with a loud thump.

His face red, the medic pulled himself to his feet and glared at the person who was still standing in the shadows of the doorway. "I swear, my patient's never going to get better if people don't stop sneaking up on us... her."

Carter gave him a wide grin as he walked on into the room. "Sorry 'bout that. I didn't mean to scare, but just the thought of Beth calling herself a fool... Trust me, that's the last thing that you are."

The girl smiled gently before turning around to face him. "I wouldn't be too sure 'bout that, Andrew. If I 'ad just kept my mouth shut... What the bloody 'ell 'appened to your face!?"

Carter gave her a wry grin as he rubbed his already swelling nose. "Well, I guess that you could say that I ran into something hard. And fast-moving... And really painful... And..."

Beth sighed quietly as she looked at the young American standing in front of her. It was obvious what had happened, but he was still trying to not come out and say it. "And would that somethin' possibly be known as a fist belongin' to a certain Corporal Peter Newkirk?" 

Carter grinned at her as he motioned for Wilson to meet him outside of the room. "Well... It might possibly have been something like that. I sort of remembered something that I hadn't thought about in awhile."

As he started walking towards the doorway of the room, Beth looked at him with a curious look on her face. "And what would that 'ave been?"

The young American looked back at her for a minute, a look on his face that almost seemed... proud? He didn't say a word though. Instead, he merely shrugged and walked out of the room. "Andrew Carter, you better get back in 'ere and tell me why 'e 'it you!"

She jumped just a little as a voice that definitely didn't belong to the American sergeant answered her. "For the first time in 'is life, Andrew remembered something that is actually pretty important... A sergeant outranks a corporal."

Beth took a deep breath as she turned to face the British man who was now standing in the doorway of the room. Newkirk gave her a nervous smile as he walked in and sat down in the chair that Wilson had previously occupied. "I think that the two of us should sit down and 'ave a 'eart to 'eart... What do you think?"

The girl gave him an equally nervous smile before nodding her head. "I guess that it might be a good idea if we did. So... What do you want to know 'bout?"

*

At Marya's words, Hogan shot up from his chair with a livid look on his face. "You want me and my men to do what!? God, are you crazy!? How the hell do you think we're going to get away with that!? Look around you, Marya!" 

The American colonel's voice suddenly grew quiet. There were flames burning in his eyes as he slowly started to speak in quiet, calm, deadly-sounding voice. "We are prisoners in a German POW camp. How in God's name do you expect us to get away with a stunt like that? No... Don't even tell me how you expect us to get away with it. I will not risk my men's lives on such a crazy, suicidal..."

The Russian woman stood up and quickly covered his mouth with her hand. There was a fire shining in her own eyes, and she looked like she was ready to kill. "This plan might be, as you say, crazy and suicidal. If we succeed though, it could - quite possibly - cause..."

Hogan's eyes flashed as he held up hand. "It could quite possibly he death of me, you, all of my men, most of the Underground in this area..."

Marya glared at him, her eyes shining with loathing. "And several high-ranking German officials. The price we pay will be well worth the end result."

The American colonel's eyes flashed with anger. "The hell it will. I don't care how many Krauts we can take out with this plan of yours, it isn't worth the price."

Her eyes flashed with anger as she glared at the man who was now standing in front of her. She leaned towards him so that her eyes were looking into his own. "Why you pompous, self-righteous, cowardly..."

Hogan leaned towards her, his eyes burning like fire. He let his eyes burn into hers as he continued his own ranting. "You crazy, suicidal, murderous..."

Before either of them could say another word, their lips connected. For a moment they stood there, their hatred for each other replaced by passion. After a moment though, Hogan pulled away with anger still shining in his eyes.

Marya pulled back and glared at him. After a moment though, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down with her into the chair where she had been sitting. Neither of them noticed a quiet scraping noise came from under the stove. After a few minutes, however, they did notice the African American man standing near the wall with an amused expression on his face.

*

Newkirk sat back in his chair, an unreadable expression in his eyes, as the young woman in front of him once again started talking about her past. He could see the haunted look in her eyes, and once again he wished that he could have been there to do something about what had happened to her.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, I remember... Well, I was fourteen when I met Billy, and 'e was sixteen. 'E seemed like a calm, sensible person - even Auntie liked him - and you know 'ow rare it is for 'er to like someone. Anyways, we dated for almost two years. It was a few days before my sixteenth birthday - right before the Blitz - and 'e told me that 'e 'ad an early present for me. Well, 'e took me to the..."

A haunted look came into both of their eyes as she continued on with her story. It took only a few minutes, but in those few minutes so many things changed. After she finished, Beth looked over at him with a shamed look in her eyes. 

"The only person I told was Uncle Jack, and I made 'im promise no to tell anyone - even Auntie. I just... With the war, and the bombings, and everything else... I thought it best if I didn't bring it up. Billy went into the service just a few weeks later, so there really didn't seem to be a point in 'urting so many people."

Newkirk looked at her for a moment, his eyes still void of emotion. She gazed into his eyes for a moment before quietly looking away. After a moment though, he took a shaky breath and reached his arm out towards her. Gently, with shaking hands, he pulled her head up to face him. 

Their eyes met for just a moment before he gave her a small, reassuring smile. Her eyes widened slightly, just before the tears started streaming down her face again. This time, however, they weren't tears of sorrow - they were tears of joy. And this time, she didn't try to hide them.

Neither did her father.

*

Kinch grinned at the guilty look on the Colonel's face as they walked down the tunnel. "I thought that you might like to know that Captain McHenry is awake. And that she and Newkirk are having a civil conversation with each other after a... um... suggestion, from Carter."

Hogan looked over at Kinch with a slightly worried look on his face. "A suggestion from Carter? Why does the sound of that make me worried?"

The sergeant grinned at him before shrugging his shoulders. "I really don't know, Colonel. I mean, it's not like Newkirk would punch him in the face or anything for pulling rank on him."

The Colonel stopped walking and turned towards the black man with his eyes wide with surprise. "Carter pulled rank on Newkirk!? Carter!? God, I wish that I had been there to see that... Newkirk punched him in the face!?" 

Kinch gave him a weak grin before walking on down the tunnel. "I didn't say that, Colonel. And neither did Carter. According to him, he accidentally walked into Newkirk's fist."

At those words, Hogan looked up towards the ceiling and rolled his eyes. "Of course, he walked into his fist. And if I know Carter, he isn't going to change that story for anything. No, not a thing."


End file.
